


For you

by diaryofafunnyfan



Category: Free!, High☆Speed!
Genre: Introspection, M/M, Pre-Slash, minor relationship study, starting days era rinharu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-24 01:26:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9693740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diaryofafunnyfan/pseuds/diaryofafunnyfan
Summary: Haruka is giddy while reading Rin’s letter to Yamazaki, and is even happier when he finds out the truth behind said letter.





	

It was fantastic to win the relay with Haruka’s new ultimate team. Ikuya and Asahi weren’t Rin or Nagisa but they were now precious teammates just like they were. As he was packing up his water bottle with the rest of his team, he came across the letter Yamazaki had shoved at him a few weeks previously. He had been too angry and bitter about Rin wrapping him around his little finger and leaving right after to consider reading it at the time. Haruka had even snapped at Makoto to not bring Rin up. The letters Rin Matsuoka enticed Haruka the way everything about Rin usually did, whether Haruka liked it or not. Remembering how angry Yamazaki had been, and now that he had a new ultimate team, Haruka decided to read the letter.

Not wanting the rest of his team to snoop or bother him, Haruka grabbed his bag and moved a few steps up on the bleachers in order to read in peace.

Haruka opened the letter and gazed at Rin’s handwriting. Truthfully, he had read Rin’s elementary school graduation essay a few times, so he was already familiar with his penmanship. Haruka couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness when he read Yamazaki’s name. Right, this was addressed to Yamazaki. As if Rin would waste time thinking about or writing to him.

Rin wrote about adjusting to Australian life, and how difficult the language barrier was to surpass. Haruka couldn’t imagine being able to do that, Rin really must be driven. Haruka’s stomach fell when he read about how much trouble Rin was having at his new swimming club. No, not Rin, it couldn’t be. Someone as shining and who knew the water as well as Rin wouldn’t slow down, no matter what. Despite any supposed setbacks, Haruka was encouraged to see Rin’s determination to become faster. If Rin was going to get faster, so was Haruka.

When Haruka finally got to the end of the letter, Rin declared he wanted to swim and be just like Haruka. Haruka’s eyes widened and he gasped. A blush painted his cheeks as he remembered Rin. Annoying, pushy, amazing, shining Rin. Rin and his darn cherry blossoms and silly dream to swim in a cherry blossom pool. Rin who had promised to show Haruka a sight he had never seen before, a sight he had delivered on. That Rin wanted to be like him!

“ _Rin… I… I want to be like you, too!_ ” Haruka thought, gazing at the sun. It shone just as brightly as Rin did. So he did remember Haruka, after all.

‘That letter was meant for you.’ A voice said. Haruka looked over at the source and saw Yamazaki facing him.

‘It’s written to you, isn’t it?’ Haruka asked. The letter did have Sousuke’s name and address attached to it.

‘Take a closer look. Everywhere he wrote “that guy”, it’s been erased. It’s faint but it still says “you” underneath.’ Yamazaki pointed out.

Taking a closer look, Haruka realised he was correct. So Rin really did remember Haruka. He had wanted to write to him! Yamazaki was explaining how Rin must have been too embarrassed to go through with sending the letter but Haruka was too busy blushing over the fact Rin had actually thought about him. Rin, who had travelled across the world for his dream, Rin who was steady and hardworking. Someone like that had wanted to write to a normal person like Haruka. His heart palpitated.

Haruka did feel bad when Yamazaki talked about how Rin wouldn’t have written to him in such a one-sided manner, and that’s how Yamazaki knew the letter was originally meant for Haruka.

‘You can keep the letter.’ Yamazaki eventually said.

‘Is that okay?’ Haruka asked, unable to hide how much he wanted to keep Rin’s words. Words that were meant for him. Words that praised him. A dazzling being like Rin wanted to be like him…

‘Rin would probably want it that way.’ Yamazaki stated before saying goodbye.

Staring off into the distance, Haruka wondered what Rin was doing at that moment. Was he swimming? He heard Makoto’s shout and saw the rest of his team. It was time to go home. Haruka smiled at his friends and placed the letter back in his bag. Rin was training, he was fine. Haruka now had a new ultimate team with Makoto and he would also be fine. Who knew, maybe Rin would actually send a letter straight to Haruka? What if he even called?

Maybe one day Rin would return and they would reunite and swim together again. Haruka hoped that day would come soon.

**Author's Note:**

> *thinks about what will happen not six months later during that winter* ... *cries*


End file.
